ranXerox
Vancouver Public Library
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Ukrainian ScorpionsUkrainian Scorpions, BookA Tale of Larceny and Greed
by Derrickson, Ronald M.Book - 2023Book, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Feb 21, 2024
ranXerox's rating:
Added Feb 15, 2024
ranXerox's rating:
Added Feb 15, 2024
ranXerox's rating:
Added Feb 07, 2024
End CreditsEnd Credits, BookHow I Broke up With Hollywood : A Memoir
by Lin, PattyBook - 2023Book, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Feb 07, 2024
ranXerox's rating:
Added Feb 03, 2024
Comment:
Higgins is one of the best crime novelists when it comes to dialogue and this one's as good as his others in that respect, but I found the book tedious. There's a lot of characters and much 'small town' yammering and I just couldn't shake the feeling Higgins was having them talk to show off his skills. (SPOILER) The crime was a murder, but the motive first has to be uncovered by peeling back the details of a financial transaction, all of which occurs 20 years earlier.
So lots of small town characters and shady business deals all taking place a long time ago = tedious conversations.Higgins is one of the best crime novelists when it comes to dialogue and this one's as good as his others in that respect, but I found the book tedious. There's a lot of characters and much 'small town' yammering and I just couldn't shake the…
ranXerox's rating:
Added Jan 23, 2024
Flying BlindFlying Blind, BookThe 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing
by Robison, PeterBook - 2021Book, 2021
ranXerox's rating:
Added Jan 19, 2024
Comment:
Decent book that accurately details the hollowing out of a once great America company, and the substandard garbage that they now 'subcontract out' - like much of what's left of Western industries. It's all garbage and crap sold to you buy a monopoly.
Note: Someone scribbled their opinions in the latter part of the book.Decent book that accurately details the hollowing out of a once great America company, and the substandard garbage that they now 'subcontract out' - like much of what's left of Western industries. It's all garbage and crap sold to you buy a…
Song ManSong Man, BookOne Man's Mission to Write the Perfect Pop Song
by Hodgkinson, WillBook - 2008Book, 2008
ranXerox's rating:
Added Jan 19, 2024
The New LeviathansThe New Leviathans, BookThoughts After Liberalism
by Gray, JohnBook - 2023Book, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Jan 03, 2024
Comment:
I am avowed and devoted reader of John Gray's work, but this book went too far afield for me. Like all of his books, you'll discover writers and thinkers you've never come across before, but Gray does a much less satisfying job of bringing them together to give the reader something coherent. The sparkling insights all his works are known for requires a good bit more slogging.I am avowed and devoted reader of John Gray's work, but this book went too far afield for me. Like all of his books, you'll discover writers and thinkers you've never come across before, but Gray does a much less satisfying job of bringing them…
ranXerox's rating:
Added Jan 03, 2024
The Gardner HeistThe Gardner Heist, BookThe True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft
by Boser, UlrichBook - 2008Book, 2008
ranXerox's rating:
Added Dec 13, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Dec 10, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Dec 10, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Nov 01, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Oct 29, 2023
Comment:
Laughably bad. I'm fairly certain a talented high-schooler could write better than this.
I dont ask for much of 'escapist fiction', but this was truly dreadful.
I'll give it half a star for finding an audience with such low standards.
ranXerox's rating:
Added Oct 29, 2023
Comment:
Somehow a book about an endless array of bureaucrats and technocrats sitting around in countless tedious meetings ended up being very boring.
Paper pushers and do-nothing public servants will be riveted.
Tyranny, IncTyranny, Inc, BookHow Private Power Crushed American Liberty -- and What to Do About It
by Ahmari, SohrabBook - 2023Book, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Oct 15, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Oct 08, 2023
Comment:
I read a Led Zeppelin bio before this and Chuck Berry's before that. Why am I telling you?
Because the Chuck Berry bio was the best written, the Zeppelin was the thickest and this one is the most badly written.
Also, if you like the musician you've decided to read about, you'll almost certainly like them less after reading.I read a Led Zeppelin bio before this and Chuck Berry's before that. Why am I telling you?
Because the Chuck Berry bio was the best written, the Zeppelin was the thickest and this one is the most badly written.
Also, if you like the musician…
ranXerox's rating:
Added Oct 08, 2023
ranXerox's rating:
Added Sep 21, 2023
Strange RitesStrange Rites, BookNew Religions for A Godless World
by Burton, Tara IsabellaBook - 2020Book, 2020
ranXerox's rating:
Added Sep 21, 2023
Comment:
Generally pretty good for books of this kind, - contemporary sociology. I was intrigued by an interview the author did for a podcast, in which she drew comparisons to current 'left' politics and libertarianism, a remark I was very happy to hear, as it conveniently aligns with my own take. The gist of this being that morality has become divorced from humanism and it's a free-for-all with foundations in consumerism; if you can afford it, you should do it.
I want to hear this woman, Mary Harrington, Tanya Luhrmann, Fran Lebowitz and the ladies from Red Scare podcast on a panel at some point!Generally pretty good for books of this kind, - contemporary sociology. I was intrigued by an interview the author did for a podcast, in which she drew comparisons to current 'left' politics and libertarianism, a remark I was very happy to hear, as…
If Nietzsche Were A NarwhalIf Nietzsche Were A Narwhal, BookWhat Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity
by Gregg, JustinBook - 2022Book, 2022
ranXerox's rating:
Added Sep 21, 2023
Comment:
Meh. I was hoping for something a bit more weighted towards philosophical rumination on the intrinsic/extrinsic value of 'intelligence', but it reads more like a late stage Gladwellian book. It's not *bad* per se, but it's not packed with insight so much as 'studies show'... At least he has the good sense to include a quote from political philosopher John Gray's book Straw Dogs. *That's* a book that will shake your intellect up, but his latest work, "Feline Philosophy" is a fine read as well.
I'd suggest either of those over this book for those more inclined towards philosophical digressions. This is more a "mass market pop-psych" book; not necessarily a bad thing - but not what I was looking for..Meh. I was hoping for something a bit more weighted towards philosophical rumination on the intrinsic/extrinsic value of 'intelligence', but it reads more like a late stage Gladwellian book. It's not *bad* per se, but it's not packed with insight…
Slow HorsesSlow Horses, Downloadable Audiobook
by Herron, MickDownloadable Audiobook - 2017Downloadable Audiobook, 2017
All copies in use
Holds: 5 on 1 copy
Holds: 5 on 1 copy
ranXerox's rating:
Added Sep 21, 2023
Governing CanadaGoverning Canada, BookA Guide to the Tradecraft of Politics
by Wernick, MichaelBook - 2021Book, 2021
ranXerox's rating:
Added Sep 21, 2023
Comment: